Various types of electric power saving apparatus have been proposed and used for an electric circuit, actuating the load of an electric motor, an electric heater, an illuminating device, or the like, by the supply of electric energy from a power source.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram and a pulse waveform illustrating an inverter for converting direct current power into alternating current power, as one of the conventional types of electric power saving apparatus. During the first half of a half-cycle, where thyristors 1 and 2 are triggered, the energy accumulated on a load is returned to a power source through respective diodes 3 and 4 and; in the case of an advancing power factor, during the latter half of the half cycle, conversely, diodes 3 and 4 are conductive. This is implementation may be referred to as a power inverter. Thus, frequencies are converted by using the power inverter to control the revolutions per minute, thereby obtaining electric power saving effects.
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a conventional cyclo-converter used as a power converter conducting the frequency conversion of alternating current power, wherein during the frequency converting process, the third and fifth harmonic waves are generated such that a precision machine may malfunction, a motor may suffer a reduced life period or a malfunction, or wave forms may be distorted. In particular, the conventional cycle-converter is not available at the high voltage of approximately 660 volts.
FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating a series resonant circuit (e.g., but not limited to, a serial resonator) that uses an electronic ballast (or an electronic stabilizer), wherein a series/parallel (or a serial/parallel) resonant type inverter, as embodied in conventional lamps, is adopted. As shown in FIG. 3, Capacitor 5 and Inductor 6 serve to implement the stable lighting of a load lamp, with Capacitor 7 constituting the series resonant circuit and serving to activate the load lamp.
Referring to the functions of the series resonant circuit, a plurality of lamps with properties the same as or different from one another are attached to the single electronic ballast, thereby achieving lighting on the plurality of lamps, and a self-protection function is added to respond appropriately to variations in input voltage and high temperature and moisture levels, thereby preventing the electronic ballast from being destroyed. Further, a back light function is added to provide for the further enhancement of functions. As a result, the formation of an electronic ballast enables the removal of magnetic ballast defects, providing improved electric power saving effects. This allows the size of a magnetic device to be reduced such that a small, light ballast is adopted, and with the recent development of semiconductor devices and switching technologies, a high efficiency of power conversion is made possible at the time of high frequency switching. However, conventional power conversion causes variations in input voltages of DC-DC converters to be suppressed such that, so as to reduce the load of the device, large capacitance is required. Because a relatively large quantity of energy needs to be charged during a short period of time as a result, the current flow becomes greater, and the input current to a rectifier becomes intermittent, thereby causing negative effects on the peripheral devices due to distortion of the input current and the high frequency of the input.
FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram illustrating a conventional power-factor correction (or improvement) circuit, wherein a high efficiency of power conversion is made possible at the time of high frequency switching, and in this case, total high frequency distortion factors (i.e., total harmonics distortion (THD)) are lowered such that a switching power source/supply is operated (or activated) like a resistive load at an input terminal of a rectifier.
Thus, the power-factor correction circuit sets an input current according to the input voltage thereto, in order to make the voltage/current ratios constant, thereby achieving a power factor value of 1; however, when the voltage/current ratios are not constant, displacement of phases or distortion of high frequencies occurs, thus decreasing the power factor value. The reactance of the input impedance of the power factor correction circuit causes the displacement of phases of input currents with respect to the input voltages, decreasing the power factor value, and the distortion of high frequencies means a degree of non-linearity of the input impedance of the power factor correction circuit. Therefore, the variation of the input impedance, as a function of input voltages, causes the distortion of input currents, resulting in a decrement of the power factor, thereby providing a relatively weak power saving effect.
There is provided a transformer type linear pressure device with a capacity of 1/10 as a power saving product for complex loads, which has a first voltage coil and a second current coil, each being wound on a toroidal core. In this case, the first voltage coil is wound with the voltage regulation in five steps and, using a cooperative induction reactor where the first voltage coil and the second current coil are connected in series with each other at the ends thereof in order to provide a series reactor function, AC power is not distorted or damaged at all, controlling the appropriate voltage, current, and input/output quantity. Therefore, the conventional transformer type linear pressure device adopts an improved control means, greatly enhancing the economical advantages and reliability thereof. However, this device is not available for a high capacity and for a high voltage. In addition, the waveforms are distorted by the artificial control of voltages, such that the conventional device is inadequate for precision machinery, and as large-sized machines are adopted, the installation area becomes restricted. On the other hand, in the case of an electric heater, there has not been an effective power saving apparatus until now.
Generally, the loss of energy generated on an electric motor, electric heater, or illuminating lamp operated using electric energy and the loss of energy generated on conductor resistance on a transmission line are caused by the irregular motions of electrons as a result of the application of heat or vibration.
As previously discussed, in the case of conventional types of electric power saving apparatus, there has thus far been no method proposed for controlling the irregular motions of electrons caused by heat or vibration that act as the fundamental cause of energy loss in electric motors, electric heaters, or illuminating lamps powered by electric energy, as well as the energy loss by conductor resistance on a transmission line, such that the conventional types of power saving apparatus provide only somewhat limited power saving effects.
Therefore, the inventor of this invention has provided a novel power saving apparatus and method that solves the problems of conventional types of power saving apparatus, which is disclosed in International Patent Publication Laid-Open No. WO 03/015249 A1, as filed by the inventor of this invention, and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. For the purpose of developing an understanding of the basic technical spirit of the prior art as filed by the inventor of this invention and of the present invention, an explanation of their basic principles will be supplied, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9.
FIG. 5 is a plane view illustrating the charge distribution in a metal. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 1 denotes electrons that are strongly coupled to the positive charges of an atomic nucleus and to the atomic nucleus, and reference numeral 2 denotes valence electrons, or free electrons, that are moving along the outermost orbit of an atom. Free electrons 2 move freely, and are not coupled to specific atoms. According to electron gas theory, free electrons 2 in the metal collide with relatively heavy ions that are, generally, at a halted state, such that they conduct continuous movements, while changing their advancing direction; at this time, the mean distance moving between the collisions is referred to as a mean free path.
If a constant electric field E (V/m) is applied to the metal, the motions of the free electrons are accelerated, without any collision with the ions, such that as time passes, the accelerated speed is increased enormously; however, due to the collision, free electrons lose their energy and change their advancing directions. At the instant when the free electrons collide against the ions, the accelerating speed is reduced to a value of 0. During normal operation, they have a mean speed, which is referred to as a drift speed.
The energy obtained by the free electrons in the electric field is transmitted to the ions colliding with the free electrons, such that when they are moving in the metal, power consumption results. Also, as the current flows via the movements of the electrons, a number of electrons collide against each other during these movements, such that the energy of the electrons generates heat.
If photons, with the light energy of a specific wavelength range, are poured in (or perhaps more accurately, injected into) the electrons forming a current on a metal conduction line (e.g., but not limited to, a metal wire), the electron wavelengths become long, and their spinning motions or vibrations become stable, thereby reducing the number of collisions among the electrons and eliminating the loss of energy generated by the irregular movements of the electrons, such that a system related to electricity may be stabilized, and electric power saving efficiency can be optimized, based on the inventor's prior patent publication no. WO 03/015249 A1.
For the purposes of developing an understanding of the effects obtained by pouring the photons with the light energy into the electrons moving in to form the electric field that generates the current, an explanation of the various effects caused by the coupling of light and electrons will be provided first. That is to say, a photoelectric effect, or a Compton effect, is to be hereby related.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, if light is irradiated to a metal, electrons are emitted from the surface of electrode A and then enter electrode B, thereby causing a current (I). This is known as the photoelectric effect, and the electrons emitted after the irradiation of light are referred to as photoelectrons. If the kinetic energy T of the photoelectrons is denoted by the function of the frequency ν of incident light, kinetic energy T has a value of 0 when the incident light has a frequency having a given limiting value or less, as outlined in the graph of FIG. 7, with its values increasing linearly in proportion to the frequencies of incident light when the incident light has a frequency of the given limiting value or more.
Furthermore, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, a phenomenon referred to as the Compton effect occurs between the electrons and the photons. The figures illustrate a phenomenon wherein as X-rays (photons) are irradiated to a material, they radiate by virtue of their colliding against halting electrons (v=0) such that the energy is partially absorbed by the electrons to cause a change to the movement of electrons, as well as a phenomenon wherein the wavelength of the waves of X-rays changes from λ to λ′, based upon Einstein's corpuscular theory. Generally, the electrons of an atom occupy the positions with possibly the lowest energy level. When the electrons are arranged on such positions, the atom is at a ground state. However, if one or more electrons are moved to a higher energy level by a given cause (by the application of an electric field, for example, as outlined in the present invention), the atom is in an excited state. The photons can induce the transition between different electron energy levels. If the photons colliding with the electrons have sufficient energy levels, the electrons absorb the energy of the photons to move to a higher energy level. On the other hand, electrons in the excited state collide with the photons to move to a lower energy level, and if the electrons that form the stream of current in the electric field already applied to the transmission line of a power circuit have the light energy (photons) provided by the infrared ray synthetic wavelengths supplied from a semiconductor device, they will have substantially longer wavelengths, meaning their vibration state will be stable, an important basic principle of this invention.
However, according to the inventor's prior patent publication no. WO 03/015249 A1, light energy having the infrared ray synthetic wavelength of a band between 780 mm and 900 mm is irradiated to the semiconductor device constituting the circuit board of the electric power saving apparatus while the circuit board is being assembled, such that the electrons in the valence band absorb the photons and move to the conduction band, thereby forming holes in the valence band. Thus, at a state where the electrical state in the crystal interior of the semiconductor device is varied, the formation of the electric power saving apparatus is completed, and after that, the micro current, which is generated by the application of the low constant voltage rectified from alternating current power to the semiconductor device, is supplied again to the power circuit. According to the inventor's prior patent publication no. WO 03/015249 A1, however, prior to the circuit board of the electric power saving apparatus being finished as one system, the light energy having the infrared ray synthetic wavelength of a specific band range is irradiated to the semiconductor device during the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device, such that until the apparatus is finally able to be used at the state of being connected to the power circuit by a user's manipulation, it is difficult to maintain a good energy state of the semiconductor device. Therefore, the electric power saving effect is not appropriate, and when a given period of time has elapsed, the saving effect may be reduced. Furthermore, the electric power saving apparatus according to the inventor's prior patent publication no. WO 03/015249 A1 does not recognize the reduction of the electric power saving effect well, and as there is no circuit absorbing the surge voltage contained in the alternating current power supplied from a power source, the stability of the electric power saving apparatus while it is in use cannot be ensured. As a result, the inventor of this invention provides herein a novel power saving apparatus that overcomes the problems as described with the prior art.